States Where Alzheimer’s Is Soaring

About every minute, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, someone will develop dementia from the illness every 33 seconds. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia in the United States and the sixth-leading cause of death.

Though early-onset Alzheimer’s can afflict people younger than 65, the disease is most common among the older population. About one in 10 seniors currently have dementia from Alzheimer’s.

Worse, the disease is expected to become much more common in the coming years. According to the 2018 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, released by the Alzheimer’s Association, a nonprofit that focuses on care and research of the disease, the number of new cases of the disease and other forms of dementia among Americans is expected to double by 2050.

“The first wave of baby boomers is entering the age of increased risk. They’re up in their 70s now, so we’re expecting a huge jump in the number of people with Alzheimer’s,” said Keith Fargo, director of scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer’s Association. By the year 2050, the cost of taking care of people with Alzheimer’s is expected to reach $1.1 trillion. “It’s a big problem, and we need to get our hands around it as soon as humanly possible.”

Based on the Alzheimer’s Association’s projections, 24/7 Wall St. listed the states from the lowest expected increase in the number of people 65 and over with the disease to the highest expected increase.

The number of people with Alzheimer’s is expected to grow in every state by at least 13% by 2025. In the states that are projected to have a rapidly growing population vulnerable to the disease — in particular, the elderly — the number of people with Alzheimer’s is expected to increase by well over 30% and by as much as 46.7% in one. Those states in particular will bear the brunt of the emotional and financial toll the disease takes on the afflicted and their loved ones.